...and more guests!

     Soon after our guests from Chita left, we were blessed to have John and Sharon stay with us!  They are very special to us, and we miss having them here with us in Ulan Ude all of the time.  (so we soak up any minutes we get with them when they visit).  They came bearing gifts... like brown sugar and decaf black tea and jewelry and a soccer guy for the kids.  Our kids loved their time with them! 

     Ella had picked out special ice cream from the store for dessert, but John and Sharon came home after Ella had gone to bed.  So we took a picture of them enjoying Ella's ice cream. 
 

     We also got to play a game (Rat-a-Tat-Cat) together.  Ella liked being on Sharon's team and Anneka on John's (Ike was sleeping). 

 

     We so appreciate John and Sharon's leadership and wisdom.  Because they've lived in Siberia while raising three kids, they understand firsthand many of the challenges that we face.  It was definitely encouraging to have them here.  We look forward to seeing them again this summer at a SEND conference!

Guests

 

 

 

     Recently, we had some guests from Chita (the next large city to the east of us) come and stay with us.  They were here for a meeting of many pastors church leaders from Buryatia and the Chita region.  We didn't know if there would be anyone staying with us until the day they came, and even then, we didn't know how many.  It turned out to be 3 men the first night and 5 the second. =)  The kids enjoyed interacting with them.  It's really fun that Anneka knows Russian from going to kindergarten here, as she can tease and express what she wants to communicate.  

 

 

 

     Our family has been trying to be more creative with playing games in the evenings.  On this day, Leif had been at the meeting all day.  The kitchen flooded (right after I gave the kids fudgesicles... needless to say, my attention was not on keeping chocolate drips contained).  Right after we got the kitchen cleaned up, the kids and I played a game where I had written a bunch of silly things to do on fish that were in a box.  In turn, we'd each draw out a fish and do the silly thing.  Well, the men arrived while we were playing.  The man in the orange shirt began playing with us.  The first fish he drew was to "jump on Mama's bed 10 times".  haha.  He loved the game, and the kids loved sharing it with guests.  Pretty soon more men came over and we all had fun playing together.

 

 ... and singing silly songs...

 

 

 ... with silly motions!

 

 

      And we sang some praise and worship songs, too. 

 

     The next day there was a big meeting here.  There were ten men in the meeting, and I made lunch for them.  The funny part is that I had just assumed there would be about four men (with three being foreigners), so I just made minestrone soup and put it in the crockpot that morning.  Minestrone soup is TOTALLY not Russian.  I think it's probably very weird to most people here.  We were gone all morning, greeting John and Sharon at a welcome breakfast.  We got home one minute before 1:00 (when the meeting was to start), and I knew I needed to make something to go with the soup.  Lunch is the big meal of the day here, so you need to have soup and then a second course.  I had planned on making some toasted ham and cheese sandwiches, but when I went to the bread stand, I ran my idea past the lady there.  I told her that we were having a bunch of people for lunch and asked if I could make ham and cheese sandwiches as the second course.  "Of course not!", she said.  Yikes.  So I quickly ran home and made some noodle/ham/cheese thing as well as the toasted sandwiches.  It's so nice because I put on a video for the kids and they ALL sat and watched.  Even two months ago, Ike wouldn't have sat for that.  And four years ago, this would have all totally stressed me out, but it doesn't now!  I love how God grows us.

    

     The meeting was an important one and it went really well.  It's encouraging to see/hear how God is working in people's hearts and how He's at work here!

White Month

 

     February here is known as "White Month".  Most Buryats hold various celebrations, family gatherings, and attend national concerts during this time.  It is a time of new beginnings.  We like to use this time to pray for the people here and to grow in our understanding of Buryat culture.  On Saturday, we had a time of prayer and celebration for the Buryat people.  It was so cool, as there were people from Russia (Buryats), Japan, Korea, Finland, Germany, USA, Armenia (I think), Romania, and Switzerland represented.  We ate white foods (a Buryat tradition) and enjoyed fellowship with each other.

 



 

     This group meets once a month, and Leif helps to lead the time.  Usually he shares a little something from the Bible before people pray for different regions within Buryatia.

 

 

     The kids played in the kitchen during the prayer time.  I loved these little Buryat dolls that Ella was playing with.  =)

 

     Then, last night the Brubachers hosted a "White Night".  They've been reaching out to a Buryat girl that they met in their neighborhood.  She came over and helped prepare posie (meat dumplings) and explained a lot about Buryat traditions.  Lucky for us, she asked if "Leif's family" was coming, and we got invited, too!  =)

 

 

     Martina made a bunch of white foods, including these cheese cakes, with the Buryat words of celebration for Sagaalgan (White Month).  I asked "E" (this Buryat girl), the meaning behind white food and she said it was a sign of a fresh start -everything being clean and new (and getting rid of the old).  Leif has heard that traditionally in February it's hard to find foods with a lot of vitamins in them, but milk products have vitamins, so people would eat a lot of milk products to try and make it through the winter. 

 

 

     Our little friend, Ilya, was there with his parents and uncle.  Ike always asks to hold him! 

 

 

     We played a game of Yahtzee (here, Leif is explaining the rules).  We had a fun time, and I pray that those who don't yet know God could see the light of Him in our lives. 

 

     While there are a lot of good things with White Month, there is also a lot of evil (people calling on evil spirits, etc).  It often feels very dark to us, and often it is a month when our kids have more bad dreams and seem to be more emotional.  We appreciate your prayers for our family.... for protection and for the light of Christ to shine through us.

Two Is The Number Just For You!

     Our little guy recently turned 2!  We had a nice family day at home.  The kids all made the cake together with me, and then the girls insisted on making the frosting and decorating it all themselves.  So I let them have the reigns.  They wrote "I love you, Ike" in blue frosting.  =)  He liked it.

     

     Ike got three new Nerf balls as a present, so we played various fun games with the balls (and a hoola-hoop) in our living room.   Ike also picked out his own present from his grandma- a race track with cars.  We all had fun assembling it and putting stickers on it (so much fun that I forgot to take pictures).  And we made pigs in a blanket (one of Ike's favorite).

     Ike is such a fun boy!  He's very sweet and quick to say "Okay!" if we ask him to do something.  He likes to do things all by himself, which sometimes makes big messes... BUT it is also very handy if he wakes up thirsty in the night.  He just goes to the refrigerator and gets himself something to drink.  =)  If he has a dirty diaper  he'll bring us a diaper and wipes.  One night I awoke to Ike standing on top of our bed, holding a diaper and wipes out.  It was both startling and funny. 

     I thought I'd show a few shots of our guy in action.  He's always on the go.  He rarely walks and usually runs everywhere.  He's very expressive and loves to laugh.  And loves to tease.  Here, he was guarding a package we'd gotten in the mail.

     Ike loves-loves-LOVES to help me in the kitchen.  He especially loves to use the electric beaters and the food processor.  I let him hold the beaters by himself and he's beside himself with glee.  I don't, however, let him use the food processor by himself.  And if I have to leave the room for even a few seconds, I always unplug it and take it off of the base.  Because he's smart and fast and loves that thing.  Here, he helped me make some scalloped potatoes.

     ... and here he's "helping" roll dough for pigs in a blanket.  If we buy them at the store, he promptly peels the bun off of the hotdog, says "garbage" and runs to the garbage and throws it inside.  But if we make them at home, he likes the bread part, too.

     I love this picture, because as I was taking it of the girls, Ike was in the background climbing the bookshelf.  Of course, I didn't tell HIM that I love this picture, as he's not supposed to do that.

      Sometimes Ike will get something in his mind and he's very persuasive that it should be this way.  For example, on this day, he really wanted a fork (and had gotten it out of the drawer himself) with his cereal.  It did not matter that the milk was dripping through the tongs.  

Ike loves playing with Papa...

   

... and on Papa!

     There is never a dull moment with Ike around.  We love him so much and are so amazed that God gave him to us!   God knew that our family needed him.  Happy Birthday, Ike!  We love you!

.... and a few more pictures from Thailand

     I feel like every day just zips by and I hardly have time to do ANYTHING extra (like blogging).  But there are a bunch of things I want to blog about, so hopefully I can catch up.  I wanted to post these last pictures from our time in Thailand in November.  After the conference, we took a week of family vacation (Leif's mom was with us).  We made some special memories! 

    
     The first time I ever came to Russia, it was on a summer team with Campus Crusade for Christ.  Kim Meeker (pictured above) was on that team.  We became fast friends and ended up living together in Kyzyl (another Siberian city) for a school year after college.  She is so special to me, and she now lives in Bangkok with her husband and darling little son!  They made the several hour trip to come and visit us where we were staying (Dolphin Bay) for a weekend.  It was so nice to meet her family and to have sweet times talking together.  I cherished every moment!!

     Everyone in Thailand was so nice to our kids, and people were always giving them presents and fruits.  Here Ike was with a banana someone gave him.  There was one lady that gave Ike several cookies before we ate dinner one evening.  Boy, was he a happy guy!!  I just loved eating meals right on the beach.  We found a little stand that had papaya salad for about one dollar and chicken kabobs for about 30 cents.  And it was right on the beach next to these great tiled tables and benches.  As soon as we found this place, we ate there every day for lunch!

One day we took a boat to Monkey Island.  And boy!- was it aptly named!!  Our guide had brought a big bunch of bananas for it.  When we pulled in, Leif was holding the bunch, and the monkeys started leaping up into the boat and onto him.  In this picture, he's holding Anneka with one arm and the bananas with the other hands.  It was fascinating and funny and creepy all at the same time!

     I was the only one without a hat, and this monkey jumped onto my head and was picking through my hair.  I didn't want to make any sudden moves it case he was a biting monkey.  Anneka WANTED a monkey on her head.  So we kept trying to get him to move along her way!

     Here, Irene got a turn with a monkey on her head.  Ella liked watching all of the monkey excitement but was very happy to not touch them (or have them touch her!)

And Anneka got her wish!  A monkey on her head!

She started to feel uneasy when the monkey started picking and wouldn't get off.  And then the monkey behind her started pushing her... and was actually moving her along the rocks.  That was when I got protective and said it was time to go.  We had Anneka stand up, and the monkey stayed on her head.  But we were able to shoo it away and get safely on the boat.

     Then we enjoyed a lovely ride around another island, enjoying the sunshine and the water!

 It was so special that Inka took a week of vacation in the same place as us!

     The place where we stayed had free kayaks for us to use.  There were no life jackets, but the water was really shallow until far out.  So all of us adults could easily stand up and save kids if we tipped (which, thankfully we didn't).  We had fun taking turns and rowing along the shore.

     During the conference, everyone went on an elephant ride one afternoon.  Leif had Anneka and Ike with him.

     It was really fun for the kids!

     Ella was with me, as well as a girl from another family at the conference.  Ella didn't say a single word the entire time.  But I definitely think she enjoyed it.  At one point our elephant got mad and stood up on it's hind legs and howled (or whatever it is that elephants do).  It was a little crazy to be rocked back like that!  But we fed him some bananas and all was well.

     Leif had an opportunity to go fishing one morning with a missionary from western Russia and his son.  They had a great time and caught several fish!

     A nice lady where we were staying cooked them up for us for dinner, and they were really good!



     We were in Thailand on Thanksgiving day and had a special time thanking God throughout the day for his many blessings and eating a special meal (a combination of American and Thai food) on the beach.  It was a Thanksgiving to never forget!

Our friend, Ken, took this family picture of us on the beach.

     Every day we enjoyed playing and splashing and swimming in the warm water.  We laughed and had a wonderful time!  It was such a special way to have family vacation time, and also a lovely way to shorten our long winter just a bit!  

...more of our apartment tour

     Okay, so a looooong time ago, I showed you some pictures from our apartment and told you that I'd show you the rest of the apartment in an upcoming blog.  Well, today you get to see our room.  It is rare that it's without clothes hanging on drying racks.  I suppose that would make for an interesting picture, but definitely not a calm picture.  We have a nice big closet to the right (it's rare for Russian apartments to have built-in closets.  Most people have wardrobes.  We also have covered balcony off of our room.  Our apartment is so hot that the door to the balcony is usually open.  I set a cup of milk on the windowsill recently and it had ice in it soon after.  But a little ways away from the door makes for the perfect temperature.  The balcony is great for storage and extra freezer space (refrigerator in the late spring and early fall). 

     Lately, Anneka falls asleep in our bed in the evening and we move her.  This way she and Ella fall asleep faster (instead of staying up too late talking).  Anneka and I have a tradition in the evening of reading The Boxcar Children books together.  We bought the first 5 on kindle, but then when Juli was here, she gave us a HUGE box of dozens of Boxcar Children books.  We're stocked for a long time!

     Usually Leif and I will be awoken in the morning by Ike or Ella.  They climb into bed with us and kiss us awake.  Leif taught the kids that that's the nice way to wake someone up.  And it sure is!  If they come in too early, then we let them crawl in.  We try to be really still and not make eye contact so they'll fall back asleep.  =)

     Lately, we've been locking the door to our room during our home group/ Bible study.  We don't want them jumping on the bed and getting hurt (or breaking the bed like they broke Ike's crib).  Last week the door somehow got opened and one of the guest kids dumped my basket of nice folded laundry all over the room.  And lots of things from our drawers were strewn about.  This week I'll be more on top of making sure it stays locked!  Ike's crib is gone now, too, so that room should be safe(r).  =)

 

Connecting With Others During the January Break

   
     In the first week in January, everything shuts down.  This was perfect for us, as we were just plain TIRED.  Leif had been running and had had responsibilities from early in the morning until late at night every day.  We took advantage of this time with no school and no regular weekly ministry to rest, spend extra time with God, have fun as a family, and connect with others.  One day the kids and I went with  Ira and her son to a performance at the Opera House designed for kids.  We stopped at the square first to check out all of the fun things made out of ice.

     We got there early and had time to get a little snack at the cafe inside.  I took this picture before the Opera began.  It was fun for the kids with the amazing music and people dressed both in Buryat national costumes and animal costumes.  The kids sat really well (and at the end when Ike got wiggly, we walked up and down our row, which was free of other people).

     Surrounding New Years, all of the performances geared for kids have a "yolka".  Everyone gathers around a tree and there is GrandFather Frost and his Granddaughter.  The kids all sing songs and dance and those who say a poem get a prize.  Anneka said the poem she learned for church about Jesus' birth and got a pack of colored pencils.

     Our friend, Lena, is a missionary in another Siberian city and was home for the New Year.  It's always encouraging to see her and hear of how God is using her to reach her own people.  And our kids love her!

     Another day we went to the puppet theatre with my friend that I met at the outdoor market last summer and her kids.  The show was very interactive (perfect for little ones) and the three girls went up on stage three different times as volunteers.  At the yolka afterwards, Ella said a poem in English in the microphone and got chocolate.  She was so happy!

We loved the Buryat Grandfather Frost!

Us ladies with our little guys!

     The few days following New Years were very warm.  We went to the ice slides with our Romanian friends one day and it was a heat wave (-6!)  The kids played and played!  This is a slide for the littler kids.  Ike was happy to go down  with his friend Ioanna.  It was so nice to go with a family who has older kids, as they took our kids under their wings.  It made it very fun and restful!

Sweet little friends.  They had their little sleds so they could go down the slides faster and farther!

     I took Ike down the big slide and we didn't go as far/fast because we didn't have a sled.  Because of this, we got hit by the people behind us, and it scared little Ike.  After that he just wanted to be held.  "Hold you!  Hold you!" is what he says.

     Ella far preferred her friends Naomi and Ioanna to Mama and Papa.  Even when she got hit by someone,, she got up like nothing happened and was ready to go again!

The little crew, at the top of the slide, ready to go down!

Weeeee!

So fun!

Naomi is so sweet.

     Another day, Anneka's friend stayed the night and the Sheesh family came over to do laundry and take baths.  It was really nice to see them.  They used to live nearby and we saw them more frequently.  They now live farther away and Sasha (the husband) has been in the hospital with some really serious operations and complications.  I know they really appreciate people's prayers.  It has been a long two years for them without an end in sight.

     Leif translated our kids' Bible into Russian as he read to Angelina.  She was enraptured!

I don't know why, but this picture seems very Russian to me!

  Although Anneka isn't back in school yet (some problem with the pipes), everything else is returning to normal.  But we feel more refreshed and thankful for the break in routine.  When we're not preparing or hosting, I try to find creative ways to not go crazy with it so cold and dark outside.  The weather has been a lot colder these last days, which means we can't be out for long.  When it takes 30 minutes of hard crying and bundling to get out the door, it almost isn't worth it.  Yesterday we walked to go and pay bills and let the kids play along the way on some simple ice slides.  We didn't last very long, though!  I've been looking online for good ideas of what to do.  We've played a bunch of silly games, gotten the mattresses off of the beds for jumping off the couch in the living room, made an obstacle course, lots of beanbag games and even some science experiments.  It takes more initial effort to do these things, but it sure pays off!